Computers for Geospatial Technologies Advanced Computing Lab

Project Title: Computers for Geospatial Technologies Advanced Computing Lab

Project Lead's Name: Robbyn Abbitt

Project Lead's Email: abbittrj@MiamiOH.edu

Project Lead's Phone: 513-529-5016

Project Lead's Division: CAS

Primary Department: Geography

Other Team Members and their emails:

  • Debbi White, whitedm@MiamiOH.edu
  • Bruce D'Arcus, darcusb@MiamiOH.edu

List Departments Benefiting or Affected by this proposal: Students from all divisions and many departments take our Geospatial Technologies courses. Any Department with a student in our class benefits from this proposal.

Estimated Number of Under-Graduate students affected per year (should be number who will actually use solution, not just who is it available to): 230

Estimated Number of Graduate students affected per year (should be number who will actually use solution, not just who is it available to): 30

Describe the problem you are attempting to solve and your approach for solving that problem: Geospatial Technology (GIS and Remote Sensing) software are very performance intensive and are annually updated to require increased computer memory and more advanced video cards. Our long-standing policy is to have computers that are no more than 2 years old in order to provide students with the most up-to-date computers that function well with the newest software advances. Fourteen of the 27 machines in our primary teaching lab will be 2 years old this year. This proposal will provide us with funds to replace the older machines with newer ones with more advanced video cards and better processors.

How would you describe the innovation and/or the significance of your project: Geospatial Technologies are innovative technologies. New applications (both mobile and desktop) are being developed at a rapid pace. In order to provide our students with the most relevant computing experience we require up-to-date computer hardware.

How will you assess the success of the project: These computers are necessary for the proper instruction of our Geospatial Technologies courses. The purchase and installation of the computers themselves will mean the project has been successful.

Total Amount Requested: $12,656

Budget Details: PC STS Specialty Desktop 7060 MT, price is $904 each x 14= $12,656

 

Is this a multi-year request: No

Please address how, if at all, this project impacts any of Miami's BCSAE, 2020, or divisional plans: There is a current proposal for a BS in Analytics as part of the BCSAE. Within that proposed major is a proposed Geospatial Analytics track. This proposal directly impacts that track, as all geospatial courses will be taught in this computer lab.